Sorting apparatus



G. S. HELENBOLT.

SORTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-24. 1919.

1,338,729. Patented May 4, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

INVENTOR 3' Z ATTORNEY G. S. HELENBOLT.

sommG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEP T.24, 1919.

1,338,729. Patented May 4,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- i'gj g8 51 BY 3 dL :ATTORNEY ITED srnrns PATENT orrrea.

GEORGE s. HEL'RNBoLr, OF MIDDLEPORT, NEW YORK, ssIGnoR TO THE REX coMPANY, or RooHEsTER, NEW YORK, A ooRPoRA'rIoN on NEW YoRK.

SORTING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known'that I, GEORGE S. HELEN- BOLT, of Middleport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sorting Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to apparatus for sorting and grading fruits and other products and particularly apples and has special reference to apparatus not altogether automatic but requiring, on the other hand, the services of an operative to do the actual selecting for size and condition to meet a given grade and the invention has for its object to provide a sorting machine in which the fruit or other material to be graded is fed continuously to one or more sorting tables, but in which means are provided for distributing the material to the workers at the table or tables so that each worker will be supplied with all that he can handle without givin any worker more than he can handle. he improvements further reside in producing a simple, and convenient machine of this character and to these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims atthe end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a sorting apparatus constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 21's a top view;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged framentary view of the left hand end of the machine, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the same part of the machine.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

It will be assumed, in the present instance, that the apparatus is to be used for sorting apples and that these have bleen previously graded or divided accordin to size. I have shown so much of a mac ine Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1920.

Application filed September 24, 1919. Serial No. 325,998.

as would figure in the sorting of only two I grades or sizes as the further capacity of the machine depends merely upon duplication of the mechanism shown. The two grades are delivered to the machine through chutes 1 and 2 (Figs. 2 and 3) the first of which delivers onto an endless belt conveyer 3 running on pulleys 4 and 5 on shafts 6 and 7 supported by a general framework 8.

The chute 2 delivers to a similar belt conveyer 9 running over a similar pulley on the shaft 6 and over a pulley 10 on a shaft 9 at the opposite end of the machine. These conveyers are supported against sagging by tracks 11 and 12 shown in Fig. 3 and the conveyer 3 runs above and laterally of two sorting tables 13 and 1 1, while the conveyer 9 runs in similar relationship to a table 15. Only one such table 15 is shown though many he provided and more tables similar to 13 and 1 1 may be provided. Each table preferably consists of a frame covered with wire mesh 16 arranged at an inclination upwardly toward the back and toward the conveyers so that it will yield and not bruise the fruit in rolling over it and will perform a mild-scouring operation thereon. A pad 17 running across the line of tables at the rear between them and the conveyer, breaks the fall of the fruit as it tumbles from the conveyer and after rolling down the table, the articles are'halted by a padded rail 18 at the front.

The operatorsst'and at the front of the tables each beside a barrel 19 in which the fruit is to be packed and the sorting further consists in removing the culls and dropping them'into chutes or funnels 20 in the centers of the tables. These lead to a chute 21 running longitudinally beneath all of the tables and having at its bottom the upper strand of a belt conveyer 22 that carries the culls to a barrel 23'provided for the purpose. The conveyer 22 passes over a pulley 2 1 above the barrel and a pulley 25 at the other end on a shaft 26 driven from shaft 6by a belt 27.

The fruit is dislodged from each conveyer by a deflector 28 and caused to roll down upon the tables. Each deflector comprises, in the present instance, a block resting on the conveyer and having an inclined face turned in the direction from which the conveyer approaches it. Eyes 29 on the block run on guide wires 30 mounted on back boards 31 provided for each of the conveyer guides 11 and 12 and these guide wires preferably include suitable tightening devices, as shown at 32 in Figs. 4c and 5. As shown these guides limit the direction and extent of movement of the deflector. The blocks are, in each instance, also attached to belts or carriers 33 passing over suitable pulleys 3% and 35 arranged above each conveyer. The shafts 36 of the intermediate pulleys 35 of both belts are arranged close together and adapted to be turned by cranks in either directlon so that an operator standing at this one point and overseeing the work at the tables may conveniently operate one or both and carry any of the deflector blocks to any desired point in rear of the tables. It is in tended that an operator shall be positioned here to work the deflectors and if he sees that the table in front of any of the sorters is becoming-depleted,he turns the shafts and belts to bring the deflector opposite that particular sorter so that the fruit traveling on the conveyer 3 or 9 will be brushed off at that point and the sorters supply renewed. As soon as it is renewed, the deflector is moved along to another point where there is a similar need, giving the first man an opportunity to Work on what is before him without an immediate further distribution to him. In this way all of the workers at the table are kept comfortably supplied Without an overload being placed on any or liability of having one man stand in idleness because an adjacent table has received more that its share of the flow from the feed conveyers.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sorting apparatus, the combination with a table and a conveyer arranged to travel adjacent said table, of a deflector movable relatively to said table and adapted to eject articles from the conveyer at different selected points to deposit them upon desired portions of the table, said deflector adapted to eject articles from the conveyer deflector is stationary.

2. In a sorting apparatus, the combination with a table and a conveyer arranged to travel along one side of said table of a-carrier and a deflector fastened on the carrier adapted to eject articles from the conveyer at different selected points to deposit them upon' desired portions of the table.

3. In a sorting apparatus, the combination with a plurality of tables and conveyers arranged adjacent to each table, of endless carriers, a deflector on each carrier adapted to eject articles from the conveyers at different selected points to deposit them upon the tables, and means for controlling all of the carriers and deflectors from a single point.

during its movement as well as when the 4. In a sorting apparatus, the combina- I tion of a table, a conveyer adjacent the table, a movable deflector adapted to eject articles from the conveyer at predetermined positions, and guides for limiting the direction of movement of the deflector.

5. In a sorting apparatus, the combination of a table, a conveyer adjacent the table, a movable deflector for ejecting articles from the conveyer to various positions on the table, guides for limiting the extent of movement of the deflector.

6. In a sorting apparatus, the combina tion of a table, a .conveyer adjacent the table, a movable deflector for ejecting articles from the conveyer to various positions on the table, guides for limiting both the direction and extent of movement of the deflector.

7'. In a sorting apparatus,'a table, a conveyer, adapted for carrying articles to said table, a mechanism for discharging said articles from the conveyer at various places on said table, and a device for controlling said discharging mechanism from a fixed position.

GEORGE S. HELENBOLT. 

